爲了美國綠卡 中國富翁扶貧舊金山

Over the next 15 years, the San Francisco Shipyards project will create more than 12,000 housing units, hundreds of acres of parks, 800,000 square feet of retail and 3.1 million square feet for office and commercial research and development, much of it in the chronically impoverished neighborhoods of Bayview-Hunters Point and Candlestick Point. The predominantly black neighborhoods in the area have been labeled the only part of San Francisco experiencing “extreme poverty,” and local homicide rates have been nearly five times the city average.

美國舊金山的造船廠項目，預計在今後的15年時間裏，將開發12000套住房、數百英畝公園、80萬平方英尺（約7.4萬多平方米）的零售店和310萬平方英尺（約28萬多平方米）的辦公、商業研究和發展場地。這些將被開發的地方大部分都在舊金山東南部比較貧困的社區——獵人角和燭臺角。這兩個社區都是以黑人爲主體，是舊金山市唯一被認爲是“極度貧困”的社區，而社區的自殺率是該市自殺率的五倍。

The Shipyards project, funded by hundreds of wealthy Chinese investors, aims to change that. The money flowing into the project is part of a recent infusion of Chinese capital breathing life into long-dormant development projects in the Bay Area.

造船廠項目，是由數百位有錢的中國投資者出資創建的，這個項目目的是讓當地社區脫貧。造船廠的項目資金是最近中國資本輸入的一部分，它爲舊金山灣區長期擱置的開發項目帶來新的生命。

In exchange for their investment, the Chinese hope to attain American green cards through the federal EB-5 program, which allows foreigners to obtain the residency permits for themselves and their families in exchange for investments of $1 million -- with the thresHold for high unemployment areas, like the Shipyards, set at $500,000.

作爲交換，這些投資的中國富人希望能夠通過聯邦的EB-5投資移民項目取得美國綠卡。該項目規定外國人在美投資100萬美元即可爲投資者及家人獲得居住許可。如果投資標的是位於目標就業區，比如舊金山造船廠項目，則投資額可降爲50萬美元。

“We’re very grateful for the monetary support that our Chinese friends have lent to the city and county of San Francisco to make projects like the Shipyards happen,” said Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt, chairwoman of the local Citizens Advisory Committee, which advocates for community interests on the project. “It’s a model program for the community, city and really the nation.”

當地公民諮詢委員會主席維羅妮卡·哈尼卡特博士說：“我們非常感謝中國朋友的資金幫助，因爲他們借錢給我們，造船廠這樣的項目才建得起來。”當地公民諮詢委員會一直是該項目利益的擁護者。維羅妮卡·哈尼卡特博士認爲：“這是社區、城市、乃至全國的模範項目。”

Initial plans involved a $1.7 billion loan from the state-owned juggernaut China Development Bank, but when that deal fell through in early 2013, Lennar began to lean heavily on money raised through its EB-5 partner organization, the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Center (SFBARC). Over the past two years, SFBARC has tapped into a groundswell of Chinese interest in the EB-5 program, raising $200 million to date. It plans to raise another $250 million in the coming year.

起初，造船廠項目計劃從中國國有的國家開發銀行借貸17億美元，但在2013年初該計劃落空，蘭納城市房地產公司就通過與EB-5投資移民機構—“舊金山灣區域中心”（簡稱SFBARC）的合作，開始融資。在過去的兩年裏，SFBARC利用了不少EB-5投資移民項目中的中國資本，一共籌集了2億美元。該機構還打算在未來一年再籌集2.5億美元。

Though the EB-5 program is open to all foreigners, in recent years it has been dominated by an explosion of interest from wealthy Chinese looking for a route to citizenship abroad. Ginny Fang，CEO of SFBARC，says that more than 80 percent of SFBARC’s clients are Chinese, many of them looking to move their children away from the toxic air and stultifying education system in many Chinese cities. According to Fang, SFBARC’s investors in the project have had a 100 percent success rate in their green card applications.

雖然EB-5移民投資項目向所有外國人開放，但近些年，對此項目最感興趣的主要是尋求外國公民身份的中國有錢人。SFBARC的CEO方景儀表示，“舊金山灣區區域中心”超過80%的客戶是中國人，其中很多人是因爲國內空氣污染嚴重、教育體制落後等希望將子女遷離中國。而且，“舊金山灣區區域中心”的投資者通過此項目拿到美國綠卡的成功率是百分之百。

Many involved in the Shipyards project describe it as a showcase of how to leverage Chinese funds for urban renewal. Chinese money is now behind the two largest redevelopment projects in the Bay Area. Oakland’s massive Brooklyn Basin project had languished for lack of funding before Beijing developer Zarsion Holdings Group came in with a pledge of $1.5 billion last year. Like the Shipyards, the Brooklyn Basin project will transform a dilapidated industrial waterfront into a mix of residential, retail and park space.

很多參與造船廠項目的人形容，這是對從中國融資實現城市重建的一次展示。中國的資金現在參與了舊金山灣區兩個最大的重建項目。在北京開發商澤信控股集團去年帶着15億資金進駐之前，奧克蘭布魯克林盆地開發計劃一直苦於開發資金不足。和造船廠項目一樣，布魯克林盆地開發計劃將把一個荒廢的工業海濱，打造成一個集居住、購物和公園休憩爲一體的綜合設施。

"This massive influx of Chinese investment will put thousands of Californians to work and dramatically improve Oakland’s waterfront,” Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said at a signing ceremony for the Brooklyn Basin deal. “This project is just one example of what’s possible when business leaders in two of the world’s most dynamic regions connect.”

在出席布魯克林盆地開發計劃的一次簽字儀式上，加州州長、民主黨人傑瑞·布朗表示：“中國資金的大規模注入，將爲加州提供數千個工作崗位，並顯著改善奧克蘭海濱。該計劃是一個實例，顯示了當世界上兩個最具活力的地區聯繫起來時，能發生什麼”。